Demon of Envy, Grant Me Strength
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Her husband is dead. His murderers are standing over her. Kyrie only has moments to think about her life before pulling the trigger. (TW for descriptions of gore, blood, character death, and references to child abuse.)


Demon of Envy, Grant Me Strength

Ushiromiya Rudolf is dead.

Ushiromiya Rudolf, her husband, the love of her life, the man who made her endure twelve long years in the scorching pits of an envious hell, is dead.

He's fallen on his back, his hand going limp on his heart. Blood oozes out of his skull, and Kyrie sees brain matter mingle with slivers of bone melting into his slicked hair. His eyes, once full of vibrant life, turn to glass, fogged and hazy like steam from the shower smeared on a mirror.

Kyrie coughs, her hands clutching her gun as if it's her only tether to life. She feels the shadows of Eva and Hideyoshi crossing her, chilling her further as blood seeps out of her stomach. Pain hardly registers in her mind as she wills herself to glance over at her dear husband, her stupid man who she brought to the slaughter.

She knew Eva murdered Rosa and Maria, but she miscalculated. She thought Hideyoshi would have acted as subservient to his wicked wife, but here he is with a rifle resting by his thigh after he shot them. Kyrie runs her fingers across her gouging wound, and the slick, warm blood coats her hand. She had been the one to inflict such devastating injuries on others, but being on the receiving side is an agony that sears far worse than the wound itself.

Her hacking coughs earn a disgruntled groan from Hideyoshi. He's uncomfortable. As he should be, considering he's the murderer this time around. Following his wife, the head of the family, as she masquerades innocence, Kyrie knows he should be ashamed.

"Please don't think nothin' too bad of us, Kyrie-san," Hideyoshi says, his accent more forced than usual. He grimaces when Kyrie refuses to look at him. "We're just doin' what you'd do if you found the gold."

If she found the gold is an entirely different situation. Certainly, she would have thoughts of murder, and it's not entirely wrong to say she wouldn't be in their precarious position, but that's another world. It's another life, one which she will never know. All she understands in this moment is suffering and wrath burning deeper than her stomach acids spilling onto the rest of her malfunctioning organs.

Eva whispers something to Hideyoshi, and the all-knowing gaze of Beatrice leers down at Kyrie. The eyes of the portrait goad her to try something. The light smirk comes across as haughty but encouraging in a cruel way, urging her to do something or else suffer and die. She knows Beatrice isn't real, but it's comforting to have someone looking out for her in her final moments.

Rudolf can't be there for her anymore. He's just a husk of chilling meat and spilled blood. He can't encourage or love her anymore. They won't have their analytical conversations about business or fireside coffee chats as they read the newspaper. Sharing dates and passion won't happen, and her daughter will live without her father, leaving her in the care of...

Kyrie's heart seizes in her chest. She grits her teeth into her chapped lips, forcing her to remain calm despite her rattling heart. The pale face of her sister glowering down at her and then using her bony claw to snatch Ange away is just as painful as her convulsing body. Kasumi would do anything to have revenge, and with her death, Ange would be placed in the Sumadera family's care. Kasumi would shred, torment, and defile every thread of Ange's heart and soul, stomping down on it just because she shares her mother's blood and spirit. No one in that malicious family would bother to help. As long as Ange is breathing and appears healthy in public, no one will bat an eye if teary-eyed Ange screams for her mom.

There's no chance in any layer of hell that Ange would survive the tea room, and Kyrie wants to vomit out her guts. Nausea streaks through her, and lightheadedness begins to take over her senses. Her hands are numb, and the cool metal of her gun makes her feel like she isn't holding it anymore. She wobbles, her knees threatening to buckle, but she stabs the gun onto the floor like a cane. Rich copper invades her mind, and she dry-heaves, her throat constricting as blood spills out of her mouth. It dribbles down her neck and chin, sliding off and hitting the floor like murky raindrops.

Hideyoshi glances away. He itches for a cigarette, but Eva chastises him. Her stern gaze falls on Kyrie, and Kyrie knows Eva's willing for her to die. Fall over, bleed out, succumb to your injuries, those are the curses she's certain Eva is thinking.

Kyrie had been the one to internally snarl those sentiments at Asumu, and for a split second, a modicum of guilt pinches her nerves. She's in the same position as the wench who stole her beloved Rudolf. She can actually understand the despair Asumu must have felt on her deathbed. Asumu is an actual person instead of someone to envy and hate for the rest of her days.

She can't believe it. Right now, Asumu is an actual person to be understood by her. They had both loved the same man, and their death will be caused by the curse of another woman.

She coughs out a thick wad of blood and mucus, which slides off her tongue and stains her teeth an inky scarlet. She's certain that she only has mere minutes left to live. Hideyoshi doesn't aim at her even when Eva orders him to shoot her again. Perhaps guilt is carving away at his insides like a cat to a scratching post.

Her thoughts become hazy as faces fill her mind. Rudolf, Ange, Asumu, Eva, Hideyoshi, Rosa, Maria, Kasumi, they all become a whirlwind of expressions and voices battering her mind. She tries to focus on one face, but they all morph and mingle. Not even the comforting lure of Beatrice gazing down at her helps. She sees Rosa's malicious face with Maria's honest eyes. Kasumi and Eva sneer at her die in the same tongue. Rudolf and Asumu become one among fluffy pillows and blankets, but when she squints, someone new grins at her.

Battler is there. The one who she had spurned is gazing down at her with such raw sympathy that she wants to laugh. She played the role of a good "mother" to him for Rudolf's sake, but he is Asumu's child. He's the one who lived while her own darling son never had the chance to breathe.

Ange adores Battler so much, and Rudolf treasures his son even though he left their family. It's partially her fault, and the desire to apologize for mistreating him burns in her belly or maybe that's just stomach acid melting through her intestines. Kyrie remembers how she discussed the chessboard theory with Battler, how his eyes lit up when they discussed mysteries, and when she raises her head to glare at Eva and Hideyoshi, she realizes she could have been a real mother to him.

Maybe she should have welcomed him, but there's no time for regrets. Her husband is dead, and her daughter will live without her. There's no chance that Eva and Hideyoshi will grant her the greatest mercy in allowing her to live. She'll just have to hope that Battler survives to the bitter end and takes on Ange as his ward before Kasumi can sink her fangs into her.

She is Ushiromiya Kyrie, the one who figured out the culprits behind the budding mass murder. At least, she solved the case behind Rosa and Maria's deaths. There's too many questions rolling around in her head, mixing in phrases that make no sense as her lungs flutter, and the excruciating effort of breathing stabs her heart. All of her hopes and dreams fade out, replaced with pulsing determination, but there's also one gripping emotion that had driven her throughout her life.

Oh, she is jealous, so very jealous, of that endless and golden witch. Eva will have the glory and money of the Ushiromiya family while Kyrie becomes one with the dirt. Hideyoshi's business will flourish while her husband is called a swine and bastard among their associates. George will be crowned the next king, venturing down a noble path his parents paved for him while Ange and Battler are thrust into the fiery pits of hell, suffering until their very last choked breaths.

All that she had worked for culminated into nothingness. Her efforts, her passions, her family, nothing worked out for her, and she finally understands Asumu's sorrow in the last throes of her life. Asumu and Kyrie built up their loves, foundations, and families, only for someone to rip the carpet out from underneath their feet, and they'll crack their heads, dying for someone else's sake.

Perhaps she can even understand Kasumi. She abandoned the life her own mother crafted for her, and her mother shoved Kasumi down that road when Kyrie ran off. Kyrie knew Kasumi had a man she loved but was forced to marry the man Kyrie left behind. All of Kasumi's hopes were dashed by Kyrie's selfishness.

She should have been there for her sister. She should have done more for her when they were both suffering under that cruel household. Maybe they would have been able to come together to stand against the Sumaderas, but that is a wish for another life, and this is no time for mourning her mistakes.

"Oh, Kyrie," Eva chides, and Kyrie digs her nails into her palms, "you were someone I really respected. I knew you'd figure us out, and I was right. You really are an intelligent, cunning woman." She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Sooo scary. What a frightening dame."

A volley of insults bounce on Kyrie's tongue, but no words come out. Her lips are glued together with shiny ichor.

"Don't worry. We won't let little Ange-chan suffer," Eva croons, a hint of satisfaction in her voice, and Kyrie jumps, her shoulders hitching to her earlobes. "We'll take her in and tell her what a good mother she had until the very end. I always wanted a daughter-"

An explosion rings out, and Hideyoshi shudders. A hole is blasted through his chest, spewing out blood and ribs. He convulses for split second before toppeling to his side. Kyrie lowers her smoking gun, appearing like a merciless soldier in the midst of battle, an eerily large grin on her face. Her shiny eyes, wet with tears, blink as Eva screams, falling to the side with her husband. As Eva shrieks his name, Kyrie wobbles.

Her neck twists as she falls, her boldness leaving her in one cold breath. She squints at Beatrice's portrait hovering over her. Eva's wailing is a pleasant tune. She knows the pleasure of trampling the dreams of another woman very well, and her lips twitch into a smirk.

"Serves you right," Kyrie whispers, but Eva does not hear her, screaming her husband's name for eternity.

The world spins around her, and she finally registers the pain. Her expression squirms, lips and eyes twitching. She isn't dying fast enough, and her body stretches with agony. Kyrie curls her knees to her side, but she keeps her neck at an awkward angle as she glares at the ceiling. Her eyes flick behind her to the massive portrait of Beatrice, but the witch isn't present.

Instead, there's a young woman with flowing green hair peering down at her. Her hand is over her heart as if offering her services, and she kneels before Kyrie. Specks of blood coat her long tresses and cheeks. She swipes her thumb across her lips, smearing blood on her chin when she tries to wipe herself clean.

"You called for my help, Ushiromiya Kyrie," Leviathan says, her lips spreading into a solemn grin. "I'm honored that you would use me to carry out such a brilliant plan. Even the former Beatrice-sama is pleased with your efforts." She giggles. "Ah, I'm so jealous of your strength! If we're given the chance to work together again in another nightmare, I'd love for you to use your envious power and create an even stronger magic!"

Kyrie isn't sure what this strange girl is saying. She doesn't recognize anyone like Leviathan, but her mind forms on final coherent thought: this is the demon of envy, the one who fueled her wrath for years. Perhaps she had granted her the final opportunity to strike Hideyoshi down and spiral Eva down a path of despair.

Oh, she isn't sure anymore. What the hell? Why not? She might as well have one fleeting moment of amusement before she dies, and this girl wants to make her laugh, so be it.

She mimes words of gratitude, and Leviathan bows her head, vanishing in an instant. Kyrie has no idea what to think anymore as darkness encroaches upon her. Her senses fade out with Eva's sobbing becoming a mere whisper. Light turns into shades of gray. She glances over at her husband one final time, and she wills herself to not cry to give Eva any semblance of satisfaction. Resentful until the end, she scorns Eva for her sins and that she will live, but the faintest hope of Battler's survival flickers in her chest.

As her body surrenders to her injury, Kyrie's face becomes a mask of pain, a tribute of her envious life.


End file.
